scar treatment

Heating pad burns are fairly common. This article give tips on how to treat one and what to do about the scaring.

Asses the severity of the burn. One would be hard pressed to cause a third degree burn with a heating pad. When assessing a burn it is important to consider to what extent/depth the skin has been burned. Burns can be categorized into three different degrees. First degree burns are skin that has only it’s outer layer harmed and feels much like that of a mild sunburn. Second degree burns appear swollen and blistered because several layers of the skin has been burned. Finally, a third degree burn is where all layers and perhaps underlying tissue has been burned. Third degree burns will appear dry, pale, white, charred black, swollen, and tends to break open. In most third degree burn cases nerves in the affected skin are damaged or destroyed.

Begin treating the burn. If the skin is unbroken such as in a first or second degree burns, water can be run over the area to remove heat. Burns are caused by the skin’s inability to dissipate energy. Because this outside energy is transferring at a more accelerated rate than the body can get rid of it, the skin is harmed. By running cold water over a burn, it aids the skin in dissipating this energy. However, if the skin is broken such as in a third degree burn, apply a dry sterile dressing over the wound and seek immediate medical attention. DO NOT PUT ICE ON A BURN!

Help you skin to heal with out scarring. Wounds may take up to two years to heal fully. For at least a year, avoid injuring the area again and don’t expose it to radiation from the sun. Instead, use a sun block, for further exposure may lead to further change in pigmentation. Applying sun block and moistener to it regularly should limit the scarification and discoloration. But when the wound heals, there will still probably be some change in pigmentation of the skin.

If a scar exists after the skin has COMPLETELY healed use the following tips to get rid of it. You can also try Mederma (sold at all major grocery/drug stores) for an easy (although cost prohibitive) “from the tube” treatment. These tips come from a previous article I wrote in e-how, but I didn’t want to send anyone to hunt for it. For a burn, I’d start with the aloe first. Read what the products do and decide what you need.

Onion- Cut and onion in half and apply it to the scar. I’m not sure what this does. I noticed that the medication I was paying $50 a tube for only contained onion extract and a preservative. I only know that it works.

Honey- Raw honey will work to begin to break down tough scar tissue. I apply it by first putting a warm rag on the area followed by a small amount of honey. Let it sit for 5 minutes and the rub off the excess with a warm rag.

Lemon- lemon will lighten the darkness of the scar. If your scar is white or lighter than you skin you can skip this step. Cut a lemon and apply the juice to the scar only using a Q-tip. Do this as often as you can.

Natural Aloe- Aloe is a great conditioner. It will help soften the scar. Aloe is also nice to keep around the house to be used for other things like sunburn and minor kitchen burns.

Vitamin E Capsules – Vitamin E will begin to break up scar tissue. Pop open a capsule using a pin and rub into the scar. Massage the area for 1-2 minutes and allow the gel to sit on the skin. Remove excess with a warm cloth. There are vitamin E lotions and such out there, but stick with the capsule. I found the result to be better.

source: ehow.com

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